9 Attachment(s)
2019 Wrap Up - the better stuff
Hi all! Hope this New Year is starting of well and prosperous for you. Thought I'd share some of my better stuff from 2019, and also include 1 shot from 2 recent January hunts up here - a very uncommon thing indeed. Best of luck to all of you in the coming year. As always, you also can find me on YT and IG under the BTV Digger handle.
John
Attachment 67548
Buckles never disappoint, whether they're iron or brass. I'm nearly guaranteed to find at least a few each year. Still awaiting my first complete colonial buckle, but know that will eventually come someday!
Attachment 67549
I also found plenty of junk (not shown) that probably filled two 10 gallon buckets. Anyway, here's a shot of some of my better relics from last year. The nearly complete colonial fork and mouth harp top the list, though the piece with the little Yorkie Terrier also intrigues me. Not sure what that went to.
Attachment 67550
I always like finding old lead and ammo. Here's a few bale seals, bullets and other doo-dads to add to that collection.
Attachment 67551
Buttons...quite a few for me last year. I can't compete with Jared on the old military buttons, but I'll take another 120 or so to add to the heap. The huge dandy with flower motif near the top center probably is my favorite of this bunch.
Attachment 67552
Small coppers...can't complain. Two 2 centers, two flying eagles, 8 beat up indians and 5 wheats. The 2 centers always hold up so well in the ground after all these years, likely attributable to being made of bronze.
Attachment 67553
8 pieces of silver. Alas, I hunt mainly colonial and 1800s-era field sites so the more modern Mercs, Rosies and Barbers don't show up too often. My favorite is of course the 1820 Bust Dime, though the thimble monogrammed "Edna" is also neat. This may surprise you, but I've yet to dig a silver Rosie in my 6 years of detecting! I told my detecting buddies that I'll buy them a beer if they'll give me the next one they find. I just can't seem to get my coil over one as weird as that may sound.
Attachment 67554
Large coppers...added 35 to the coffers last year, giving 3 away to farmers who were gracious in letting me tromp through their fields. Crossed off several bucket listers including my first 2 Vermont Coppers, a NJ Copper and a quite uncommon Irish Evasion Copper from the mid-18th century. My favorite by far though is the wiped KG2 half penny monogrammed as a love token or gift with the initials L & B near top center. Such a special and personal piece, though to date I've yet to find a potential original owner after searching many possible daughters, daughter in laws, wives, female children etc from the cabin site at which it was found.
Attachment 67556
Here's a close-up of my favorite large coppers.
Attachment 67557
Finally, got in two separate hunts in over the past few weeks up here...in January! That's so rare up here in these parts as winter is typically quite rough from mid-December onward into March (we typically average 80-120" of snow a winter, and that's in the lower elevations). Here's a wide shot from those hunts, the second of which I nabbed another cent trifecta (1850 Braided Hair LC, 1899 and shot 1893 IHs and a 1917 Wheatie).
